Detergent composition



Patented Apr. 22, 1 952 DETERGENT COMPOSITION Charles B. Durgin, Anniston, Ala., assignor to Monsanto Chemical Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application May 12, 1949, Serial No. 92,942

The present invention provides an improved detergent composition.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a detergent composition comprising an active oily ingredient and a builder ingredient, the whole furnishing a detergent composition having improved physical properties. A further object is to provide a detergent composition having an increased retentivity of the oily ingredient by reason of the presence therein of the mineral attapulgite. A still further object is the provision of a combination of an active ingredient and the mineral attapulgite which results in a lower soil redeposition during washing and softer hand of textile products laundered therewith. A still further object is to provide a detergent composition, the ingredients of which remain suspended in the detergent solution and are not picked up by the clothes during washing.

According to application Serial No. 637,096, now abandoned, filed December 22, 1945, which application is assigned to the same assignee as is the present invention, condensation products of tall oil with ethylene oxide containing in parts by weight from 0.5 part to 2.3 parts of condensed ethylene oxide per part of tall oil, may be readily prepared and have been found to be valuable as detergents. Since the oily liquid to semi-solid condensation products produced in accordance with the above pending application are not readily handled particularly in the household, by reason of their objectionable physical properties, these products are usually mixed with various solid salts such as tetrasodium pyrophosphate, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, or adsorptive materials such as starch, etc, which materials serve as adsorbents for the oily condensation product. I have found, however, that even with the use of calcined salts, which, as described by British Patent 469,334, have an adsorptive power considerably greater than the crystalline salts, that the oily condensation product readily strikes through the paper package in which the material is contained. Even a mineral having the adsorptive power of kieselguhr lacks the particular properties which are effective for retaining the condensation product in a non-oily, free flowing form and at the same time remaining suspended in the washing solution. I have noted that both the minerals kieselguhr and bentonite exhibit the objectionable property of settling out of the detergent solution and are picked up by the clothes to an objectionable degree.

The tenacity with which the various salts or adsorbents retain the oily condensation product 3 Claims. (Cl. 252-140) may be determined by means of a soaking test which is carried out as follows: A pile of the adsorbent containing the oily condensation product is placed on several sheets of adsorbent paper, such as filter paper, a weight is placed on the pile and then allowed to remain in this position for one week. At the end of this time the paper is removed and solvent extracted; the solvent is then evaporated and the residue weighed. The weight so obtaind is a measure of the tenacity with which the powdered adsorbent retains the oily product. As will be obvious, products from which a large quantity of condensation product is transmitted to the paper have a lower retentivity than those from which small amounts of product are transmitted.

Illustrative of the effect of kieselguhr in mixtures containing the oily condensation product of tall oil with ethylene oxide when subjected to the above soaking test, I prepared a dry mixture of the following components in parts by weight:

Example I Parts Oily condensation product of tall oil and ethylene oxide 20 Tetrasodium pyrophosphate, anhydrous 40 Sodium sesquicarbonate 25 "Kieselguhr u 15 The above mixture was subjected to the above "soaking test for one week with the following results:

Grams of condensation product absorbed by filter paper 0.106 Percentage of total condensation product absorbed by filter paper 0.265

The mineral attapulgite which is employed in my present detergent composition is a complex hydrated magnesium aluminum silicate occurring in the form of spicular particles.

On the volatile-free basis, attapulgite has the following chemical composition:

Per cent S102 67.0 MgO 12.5 A1203 11.0 CaO, Fezoa, etc 9.5 Ignition loss-total while at 1800 F. 19-21 This material is employed in the finely divided form.

The following examples are provided by way of illustration.

Example II My detergent composition consists of the following ingredients in parts by weight, total to make 100 parts of product.

As illustrating a specific composition useful for general detergent purposes, the following product is provided.

Example III Parts Oily condensation product of tall oil with ethylene oxide 20 Tetrasodium pyrophosphate (anhydrous) 40 Sodium sesquicarbonate 25 Attapulgite -l The above composition was prepared in the same manner as that described in Example I above, and the ingredients thereof were the same except that the kieselguhr was replaced by attapulgite. I

Upon subjecting this composition to the soaking test described above, for the same period of time and under the same conditions, the following results were obtained:

Grams condensation product absorbed by filter paper Percentage of total condensation product absorbed by filter paper 0.0225

Another specific composition useful for detergent purposes may contain the following in- I gredients:

Example IV Parts Condensation product of 1 part of tall oil with 1.6 parts ethylene oxide 15 'Ietrasodium pyrophosphate 40 Attapulgite I 18 Sodium carbonate 25.5 Carboxy methyl cellulose 1.5

Total 100 The tetrasodium pyrophosphate may be semployed either in the anhydrous or hydrated form, the latter form usually consisting of the decahydrate, although a lower hydrate may also beiemployed. Water of hydration is indicated in some of the above formulations, it being understood that the water when present is combined as water of crystallization of the salts, usually with the phosphate, although some may also be pres ent in the sodium carbonate.

The combination of the ingredients may be carried out in any convenient manner, but generally I prefer to place the finely ground tetrasodium pyrophosphate in a mechanical mixer, add the liquid oily condensation product, mix thoroughly and then add the attapulgite and then the other ingredients as desired. Where hy drated salts are to be employed in the composition, the formulation of the hydrated tetrasodium pyrophosphate may be carried out by employing a mixture of sodium acid pyrophosphate and soda ash and inducing a reaction forming tetrasodium pyrophosphate or trisodium acid pyrophosphate by adding a small amount of water. The water may be added as such, or it may be added as a solution in the tall oil-ethylene oxide condensation product, this procedure giving somewhat better results. This method is more fully described and particularly claimed in copcnding application Serial No. 92,954, filed May 12, 1949, which application is assigned to the same assignee as is the present case.

What I claim is:

1. A non-oily, free flowing detergent composition comprising the following ingredients in parts by weight to make parts:

Parts Condensation product of tall oil with from 0.5 to 2.3 parts of ethylene oxide per part of tall oil 8to 30 Tetrasodium pyrophosphate 16 to 60 Attapulgite 5 to 25 Sodium sesquicarbonate 0 to 30 Carboxy methyl cellulose 0 to ,5 Water of crystallization 0 to 27 2. A non-oily, free flowing detergent composition comprising the following ingredients in parts by weight:

Parts Condensation product of tall oil with 1.6 parts of ethylene oxide per part of tall oil 20 Tetrasodium pyrophosphate 40 Attapulgite 40 3. A non-oily, free flowing detergent composition comprising the following ingredients in parts by weight:

Parts Condensation product of tall oil with 1.6

parts of ethylene oxide per part of tall oil Tetrasodium pyrophosphate 40 Attapulgite :18 Sodium carbonate 25.5 Carboxy methyl cellulose 1.5

CHARLES B. DURGIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 7 March 11, 1949, Interscience Pub., Inc., page 378. 

1. A NON-OILY, FREE FLOWING DETERGENT COMPOSITION COMPRISING THE FOLLOWING INGREDIENTS IN PARTS BY WEIGHT TO MAKE 100 PARTS: 